Aggravated life sentence sought for man for killing taxi driver in Turkey

Duvar English

İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has demanded murder suspect Delil Aysal get an aggravated life sentence for killing a taxi driver, according to reporting from state-run Anadolu Agency.

The incident, which sparked an outrage in Turkey, happened early on Jan. 31. Taxi driver Oğuz Erge picked up 19-year-old Delil Aysal, who was wearing a hoodie and mask, in İzmir’s Buca district at around 03.30 a.m. local time.

When the taxi arrived at the destination, Aysal shot Erge three times from the back seat. The driver died in İzmir Atatürk Training and Research Hospital. The dashboard camera in the taxi recorded the moments of the murder, which stirred a huge reaction.

The suspect, who fled with the money and Erge’s belongings, was then arrested in a police operation in Buca district.

In his testimony, Aysal said he was outside because he “was overwhelmed by the troubles he was having with his family.” He said he offered to pay the taxi fee with a credit card, but the driver told him the device was out of charge and said “you have to pay now.”

Aysal argued that he committed the incident in a moment of anger and said, “After a little while, I regretted it and returned. I took the phone belonging to the taxi driver and called the number registered as 'my daughter' and explained the situation. I did not call 112 (the emergency number).”

The indictment against Aysal stated noted that Erge was shot at with an unlicensed pistol and the mobile phone and wireless headset belonging to the deceased, who was unable to defend himself, were looted, “Thus, it is understood that the suspect committed the crimes of qualified murder, qualified looting and carrying an unlicensed weapon.”

The prosecutors have demanded an aggravated life sentence for Aysal.